Grinding machine feeding device



Jan. 10, 1956 H. T. RUTHERFORD GRINDING MACHINE FEEDING DEVICE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 8, 1952 ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1956 H. T. RUTHERFORD 2,729,920

GRINDING MACHINE FEEDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Jan. 10, 1956 H. 1-. RUTHERFORD 2,729,920

GRINDING MACHINE FEEDING DEVICE Filed Dec. 8, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 @7 77 Rw/her'ford BY W ATTORNEY INVENTOR United States Patent 2,729,920 GRINDING MACHINE FEEDING DEVICE Harry T. Rutherford, Bare Hills, Md. Application December 8, 1952, Serial No. 324,622 Claims. (or. 51-92) The present invention relates to a feeding attachment, or device for use in particular with a horizontal bed surface grinder, such as that shown in applicants Patent No. 2,598,020, dated May 27, 1952. However, the feed may be employed in any case where the feeding is over a flat bed.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an article feeding device that is independently operated and therefore may be cut out if it is desired to handle the articles manually.

Another object of the invention is to provide a feed that will be simple to construct and etficient in its operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feed that may be applied to a number of different grinding operations.

While several of the objects are set forth, other objects, uses and advantages will become apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed or illustrated in the following drawings and described in the following detailed description, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the feeding device.

Figure. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical detailed view of a portion of the device showing more clearly the carriage driving mechanism.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary diagrammatical end view of the feeding device illustrating the manner in which the device is carried at one side of the grinding machine.

Referring in particular to the drawings, the feeding device is positioned to one side of a horizontal bed 8 of a surface grinder which is in turn supported upon legs 11. The bed has extending diagonally across its upper surface a horizontal cylindrical cutting stone 7 adapted to grind an even surface on articles being ground such as cylinder heads, manifolds and the like when passed back and forth over the bed 8. r

The feeding device is supported upon a frame comprising a pair of parallel tracks braces 12 and 12' located at each end of the tracks. The tracks are positioned and held in parallel relationship by members 13 and13" located at each end of the tracks adjacent the braces 12 and 12.

The track 141 is preferably secured along the edge of the plate 8, as shown best in Figure 2. The track 15 is spaced outwardly from the bed as also shown best in Figure 2. The upper surfaces of these tracks are in a horizontal plane parallel with the bed 8 of the grinder.

Positioned upon thetracks is a movable carriage 16. The carriage is adapted to be moved back and forth along the tracks at a very slow speed. The carriage is supported upon rollers 17, 17', 19 and 19' in order that the carriage may be easily manipulated along the tracks. There is provided a motor 18 for operating the carriage.

14 and 15 and supporting ice This is done through a reduction unit 20 of the worm and gear type. One end of the worm is connected with the motor 18 by means of the flexible coupling 22, the gear is connected with a pulley 26, which is in turn connected through a belt 24 to a pulley 36 operating the specific means for moving the carriage.

Secured to the underside of the track 15 is a toothed rack 32, for engaging the carriage moving means.

The carriage moving means, or assembly, is shown in detail in Figures 3 and 4, and consists of the pulley 36 and a pair of pinions 38 and 40. Extending downwardly from the carriage is a pair of supporting members 21 and 21 having a bearing in their lower ends. Operating in these bearings is a pair of short shafts 23 and 23. These shafts extend through the bearings in the ends of the members 21 and 21 and are fixedly secured with a pair of short oscillating pinion blocks 25 and 25. The outer short shaft 23 is pinned to a lever arm 27 for oscillating the blocks. These blocks are provided with bearings extending outwardly and equi-distant on. each side of the shaft members 23 and 23 to accommodate shafts 28 and 28'. The shaft 28 is adapted to support the pulley 36 and the pinion 38, and the shaft 28 is adapted to support the pinion 40. The distance between the shafts 28 and 28 and the size of the pinions is such that the pinions engage each other, and upon the rotation of pinion 38 in one direction, pinion 40 will be rotated in the opposite direction. By motion of the lever 27 from one limit to the other, the oppositely rotating pinions 38 and 40 are thrown in and out of engagement with the toothed rack 32, which, being operated in opposite directions, will cause the carriage to be moved back and forth along the tracks as the two pinions are shifted in and out of engagement with the rack.

In order to keep the belt 24 tight there is provided an idler pulley 46 held against the belt by a spring 47.

Extending above the tracks is a rod 41 supported adjacent its ends by the prolongation of the rack members 12 and 12', Along the rod 41 are slidable stops 42 and 43 which may be fixed in position by the studs 44 and 45. These adjustable stops are for operating, through the proper linkage, the pinions 38 and 40 to reverse the direction of the moving carriage.

To automatically oscillate the pinion blocks and pinions 25 and 25' in and out of contact with the rack 32, there is provided a lever 48 pivoted about a pin 50 attached to the carriage. The upper end of this arm moves very close to the rod 41 and is adapted to contact the blocks 42 and 43. This arm 48 is part of an over center throw mechanism and is held to either one side or the other of its vertical position by a spring 51 having its upper end fastened to a point adjacent the upper end of the arm and its lower end fastened to a pin 52 carried on the lower end of an arm 53, which is in turn supported downwardly from the carriage. The arm 48 is further provided with spaced pins 54 and 56 along a portion 48 of the arm 48. Extending downwardly between these two pins 54 and 56 is the arm 27 connected with the shaft 23' and which is also part of an over center throw mechanism. This arm being connected to theshaft 23' will oscillate the pinion blocks 25 and 25' to move either one or the other of the pinions in and out of engagement with the rack when the arm is shifted. The arm is held in either of two positions, as shown in Figure 1 by the full and dotted lines, by the spring 27 Secured to the carriage is a hingeable arm 60 carried by hearing blocks 61 and 61'. This arm is slotted adjacent its outer end at 62 for attaching a. jig 63 for engaging the work. The jig is of any form or composition to suit the article being ground. The arm may rest upon the article of its own weight, or it may be loaded by a spring or other means to impart a predetermined pressure on the work as it is carried back and forth over the cutting stone 7.

In operation, such as resurfacing a cylinder head 65, the

jig 63 is secured to thehead by appropriate thumbscrews 66 and 167.1 The cutting stone 7 is set in motion by the motor'68. The carriage is always toone side of the grinding stone at the'beginning of the operation and is set in. motion by switching on the current to the motor 18 which the arm' 48 comes in contact with the member. 42 carried on the arm 41 when the arm willrbemoved into .the position as shown by the dotted lines. The pin 54 will contact the member 27 and move it to the position as shown by the dotted lines where it will be held by the spring 27, and in this position the pinion 38will be in engagement with the rack 32 and as it is being rotated in the opposite direction to pinion 40 will likewise cause the carriage to move in the opposite direction. This will continueuntil the arm 48 comes in contact with the member 43 when the arm will be moved again into the position as shown in'the full lines in Figure 1 to again reverse the direction of the moving carriage.

As the feeding mechanism is positioned to one side of the grinder and is independently operated by a separate motor, the automatic feed may be dispensed with and the arm 60 may be raised or removed, and the work may be manually manipulated over the bed and grinding stone.

While a specific form of the invention has been shown and described, it is not intended as a limitation as many variations may be possible to carry out the general principies set forth without departing from the spirit of the invention which is best defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a grinding machine having a horizontal grinding element extending upwardly across a horizontal bed; comprising a work feeding mechanism having a supporting frame therefor fixedly secured to one side of the machine and a track carried by the frame, va carriage adapted to be'moved back and forth along the traclgmeans carried by the said carriage and extending,

over a base having a horizontal surface for engagingv the work, independent driving means carried by the carriage for moving the carriage along the tracks, a fixed toothed gear rack carried by the frame, a reversible drivingmeans carried by the carriage comprising a pair of oppositelyv rotating pinions carried upon a centrally pivoted support operated adjacent the said irack by the driving means,

means associated with the pinion support for alternately shifting the two pinions in and out of engagement with the said'rack for reversing the direction of the carriage.

2'; A combination machine as defined in claim. 1 in which thepinion shifting means comprises a pivotal lever connected with the pinion support adapted to pivot-the pinion support when the lever arm comes in contact with either one of a pair of adjustable stops carried at either, end of the said frame and means for holdingthe pinionnormally in 'either one of two positions.

3. In a feeding mechanism for feeding articles over a horizontal supporting surface of a grindingmachine, the

grinding'machine having a cylindrical grinding element of relatively small diameter having the tangent of'its upper surface extending across and up from beneath the horizontal supporting surface .and means for driving said grinding element,'a supported track fixedly secured to one side of the machine and to one side of the horizontal grinding surface, a carriage resting upon said track adapted to be moved back and'forth along saidtrack and a separate drivingmeans, carried by the carriage for moving the said carriage in alternate directionsalong the track, a'work engaging arm having'one end hinged to the carriage about a pin, the elongated axis of which is substantially parallel with the track, the other end of the hinged arm adapted to be moved from a point from over the carriage to a horizontal position over the horizontal article supporting surface of the machine, means carried by the outer end of the arm to engage the article for moving the same back and forth over the horizontal supporting surface when the arm is in horizontal position vaccording to the movement of the carriage.

4. In combination with an article-grinding machine having a horizontal grinding element of small diameter having thetangent of its upper surface extending across and having its upper surface slightly above the upper surface of a horizontal bed including means for driving said grinding element and means for moving said article over the said horizontal bed and grinding element comprising a support and a track fixedly secured to one side of the machineand horizontal surface, a movable carriage resting on said track and supported thereby, a fixed toothed.

rack carried bythe track supporting means, a separate driving means carried by the carriage for operatingv the carriage having a pair of oppositely rotating pinions adapted to be alternately engageable with the saidrack and an adjustable means carried on the machine for automatically moving each of the pinions in and out of engagement with the rack for reversing the direction of the movement of the carriage after it has moved a predetermined distance along the track, a work engaging arm having one end hingedto thecarriage about a pin, the elongated axis of which is substantially parallel with the track, the outer end of the hinged-arm adapted to be moved from a point from over the carriage to a horizontal position over the horizontal article supporting. surface of the machine, means carried by the outer end of the arm for engaging the article for moving the same back and forth over the horizontal supporting, surface of the 1 machine when the arm is in a horizontal position accord ing to the movement of the carriage.

5. A feeding mechanism for a horizontal surface grinding machine having a grinding element extending up,- wardly from the said horizontalsurface, comprising a support fixedly secured, to one side of the machineand positioned to one side of the horizontal surface, a stationary track carried by the support, a carriage supported on the track and adapted to move back and forth along the track, a stationary toothed rack carried along the support for the feeding mechanism, an automatic reversible driving means carried by the carriage for operating the same, I

comprising a pair of pinions in engageable position with the toothed rack, rotatable in opposite directions and, supported upon'a' frame hinged at a point centrally of the carriage in one direction and connect the corresponding pinion with the rack to move the carriage in theopposite direction and means carried by the carriage for engaging an article to .be, ground for guiding the same in a horizontal plane only.

References Cited inthe file .of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 417,001 Creigh Dec. 10. 1889 1,663,320 Stoddard v Mar. 20, 1928 2,033,623 Freeland Mar. 10, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,868.; Great 'Britain' Apr. 2; 1909 Germany Aug. 31, 1891 

